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Friday, February 27, 2015

This week I have continued on my quest to paint light in the Nigel painting and it is coming along slow, but sure. I am trying to paint light coming from the lamp on the nightstand as seen above. There will also be light coming from the hallway fixture as seen below.

WIP detail

My art instructor helped me in class this week and this morning I began reading a chapter about color and light in Richard Schmid's book Alla Prima. I purchased it two years ago even though it was kind of expensive. It probably appeals more to classically trained painters, but I knew it would be a go-to resource for me over the years, which it has been.

Color and Light chapter in Richard Schmid's book Alla Prima

In the photo below you can see I shortened the arched doorway after my instructor suggested it, and now the parent figures stand in the boy's room rather than being detached (see previous post). I am not sure I like it this way because I originally wanted the parents to be outside Nigel's door vs inside. However, now it makes more sense as far as drawing purposes go. From the beginning I have struggled with how to arrange this scene so that the parents are equally as important as the sleeping boy, but have it also make sense architecturally.

There is still much to do. There are more shadows and light and fine details to come. I am using glazes and cold wax, which means it has required a lot of time to dry in between sessions.

WIP 20 x 16 inch oil on cradled board

So while the painting is drying I have been doing things like straightening up my studio...

Friday, February 20, 2015

This past summer while cooking dinner, I was listening to the Nina Simone station on Pandora like I usually do, and the song "Making Plans for Nigel" ( the Nouvelle Vague version) came on. I swayed and twirled and cooked and listened, and as I did a vision of a young boy and his parents came to mind. I saw basically what you see here in the beginnings of this painting...the boy in his bed with the covers pulled over his head...a tuft of hair sticking up (eventually)... and his parents standing outside his door discussing his future. Nigel has hopes and dreams of his own, but his parents know what's best, don't they? Or do they? I sketched this scene out that evening and the ideas of painting it have been dancing in my head ever since. I'm excited to finally be working on it.

I don't believe this is the true meaning of this song, but it is what I saw when I heard it. My challenge for this piece...the challenge I am giving myself...is to paint light. I see light coming down from the hallway light, onto the parents heads and faces, and spilling into the room. The relation of the doorway and the room of course isn't right, but it's the only way I could get this down with my limited drawing skill. It's the light, the characters and the overall atmosphere I care about. I am not sure I can succeed with painting light, but I am going to give it a try.

Wish me luck.

Below is the Youtube video of the song. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Last week in painting class, I dived right into this work...and I mean dived in...sleeves rolled up, head down...and not a word as I worked. I cannot talk and paint at the same time. Luckily my friends in class are forgiving of my silence. It is good to be among other artists on a weekly basis who get it about the need for concentration and having a block of uninterrupted time to paint so that ideas can flow smoothly.

My friend Julie Ford Oliver has mentioned the difficulty of talking while painting before on her blog...how it challenges her while demonstrating in her classroom and on her teaching videos. I understand fully what she meant now that I am in a classroom setting. But I would not trade my classroom time now that I've experienced it. It is so valuable because I not only get to hang with other artists for three hours a week, but I get the privileges of having a teacher (Brian Hinkle) to ask a variety of questions about mediums, techniques, and all things art. It is truly a blessing.

Anyhow, about the painting: I started with scrapbook paper that covered the entire surface of the canvas and painted on top of that. I prefer a smooth surface most of the time, especially when there are small details, and the paper provides that in an interesting way. I worked pretty fast and you can see in the photo below where I left off at the end of class last week. I then pecked at it all week and finished it last night.

Rebirthings in progress
The figures slowly emerged and the details were a mix of accidents and purposeful marks. Once the blackbirds appeared in the sky, it seemed placing one in the child's arms would be a nice touch. After I finished last night, I stared and stared at it trying to come up with a title. I looked up blackbirds, ravens and crows online to get some help. The word rebirth was repetitive among the three bird types, however "rebirth" sounded boring. In art, we can make up our stories and our own words. Lucky us!